Romans 8:1-11 (NRSV)
Read Romans 8:1-11 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 8There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Verse 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Verse 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, Verse 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Verse 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Verse 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Verse 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-indeed it cannot, Verse 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Verse 9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Verse 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Verse 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Devotion
I found myself clinging to the climbing wall and I was determined that I would not fall; however, that was the point. “Okay,” the instructor said impatiently, “now just let go of the wall.” The point of learning to climb is to learn to fall and trust the person on the other end of the rope. I had just watched my husband climb, easily let go of the wall and fall as I caught him by tightening the rope. Now, why couldn’t I do the same thing? It is so easy to convince ourselves that we have control over our lives and that we don’t need any help, until we fall. Suddenly, we find ourselves hoping that someone will catch us. Guess what? You belong to God. The Spirit of God is in control and will grab the rope when you fall and hold on tight.
Prayer
God, our Spirit, we thank you that you promise to be our climbing partner. Help us when we fall and set us free from our false sense of control. Amen